A three-seat light aircraft with vee tail and pusher propeller, the Planet Satellite was powered by a Gipsy Queen 32 via an extension shaft. The first aeroplane constructed entirely of magnesium sheet, and with retractable tricycle undercarriage.
Designed and built by J.N.D.Heenan of Croydon, UK, in 1948, the Satellite appeared at the 1948 Farnborough Airshow. Construction of the prototype G-ALOI c/n 1 was completed at Redhill,
Chronic vibration problems brought attempts at flight to a close at Blackbushe in 1949. After a period of store at Redhill it was broken up in 1958.
A second prototype, c/n 2, was built and used in the construction of the Firth helicopter G-ALXP.
Engine: Gipsy Queen 32 Wingspan: 33.08 ft Length: 26.03 ft
UK Built Satellite three-seat light aircraft with vee tail and pusher propeller in 1949. The first aeroplane constructed entirely of magnesium sheet, it was powered by a Gipsy Queen engine, but did not fly and was subsequently broken up. Fuselage of the second prototype was used in the Firth helicopter.
Designed by M. Max Plan, the PF.204 single-seat racing and sport monoplane was flown for the first time on 5 June 1952, powered by a 75 hp Minie 4 DC 32.
The PF.204 is of all-wood construction with plywood skin and has a fixed cantilever undercarriage with light alloy fairings.
Only one prototype may have been built.
Engine: 75 hp Minie 4 DC 32. Wingspan: 18 ft Loaded weight: 792 lb MTOW: 1100 lb Length: 17 ft 6 in Max speed: 130 mph Cruise: 99 mph ROC: 394 fpm Endurance: 2 hr 30 min at full pwr
Curtis Pitts built “several” of the Goodyear-type racer. Possibly 7 or 8 including N97M Miss Dayton and N1961M Li’l Monster.
The Monster was built around 1947 or ’48 (even Curtis is unsure exactly when the plane was completed), and the aluminum wing, steel tube fuselage frame midget was designed around two things: The 190 cubic inch C-85 engine and the 5 ft 5 in Phil Quigley (the cockpit section was established by setting Phil up against the wall and chalk lofting his form!). Quigley was an accomplished race pilot and mechanic who did most of Curtis’s development testing and racing in the early 1950s. The Monster with Phil at the controls raced a bunch in the Goodyear events of the era with a modicum of success.
Probably, the plane was last raced at Cape May, New Jersey, during the disastrous 1971 air races. Fastest recorded lap speeds were just over 240 mph.\
After Curtis sold the aircraft, it passed through several hands before coming to rest in Oklahoma where James Dulin owned and flew the racer for almost 20 years. Detailed accounts of every Dulin flight accompanying the log books indicate nearly 400 hours logged in cross-country flights from Florida to California. Records also indicated two complete rebuilds as the result of almost identical hangar flooding instances. Clevenger subsequently acquired the Monster (autumn 1989) and set about restoring the craft to its current condition.
The Monster had been in storage in Oklahoma for almost 15 years before the airplane was hauled back to North Carolina.
The aircraft was restored.
With the aircraft fueled, I climbed in and over the wing, anxious to see how I’d fit in the Quigley-size cockpit. I slid my feet forward under the main spar while lowering myself down inside the 20-inch wide (!) fuselage. Something hung my feet up before I got my feet all the way in and I fumbled around unsuccessfully trying to get fitted into the cockpit. It suddenly dawned that there was no obstacle at all. I had run up against the rudder pedals! I didn’t think I’d actually fit but, once in with my knees up around my elbows and my back pressed hard against the rear spar carry through, I found I could reach the needed controls – barely. This is definitely an aircraft built for 15-minute flights. The much-advanced timing made starting difficult, but once started, the “hopped up” C-85 ran great – for about 30 seconds. We spent another 15 minutes propping before we got the engine running again. This time the engine ran for a whole minute before quitting. Back in the hangar we went and off came the cowling, carb and fuel lines. Cleaned and checked, we reinstalled the units as the sun set. We pushed the plane back outside and it purred like a kitten. Just enough for the little light left and a quick flight around the pattern. I taxied to the far end of the 3000 ft grass runway where I ran the engine at full power for a good minute before convincing myself it woud run well enough to continue as planned. The right mag checked a little rough but not bad and all else was in order. Lined up, I shoved the power in quickly and the C-85 responded well, gradually pulling the little racer faster and faster through the tall grass. The tail came up on its own at about 900 feet down the runway – just as we entered the lumpy midfield region. Directional control was easy, thanks to the “dew wet” grass and the little racer handled the rough ground quite nicely – that is until a large ground swell launched us into the air about three seconds too early. I wasn’t quite sure the wing would bite and, being unsure about the stall characteristics, elected to let the aircraft settle back to the runway to accelerate just a bit more. The next bump launched us again into the air – this time in good aerodynamic shape so we could continue. The aircraft accelerated low over the runway – the rpm steadily increasing with airspeed. Approaching the end of the runway, I started a slow climbing turn back overhead the field, now shrouded in the long shadows of dusk. Three minutes later I leveled at 4500 feet, just in time to catch a last glimpse of the sun setting behind the mountains to the west. A quick bit of slow flight revealed no bad habits and the stall, although unannounced, broke straight and clean down around 75 indicated. A mediocre flyby and chandelle set me up on downwind, trying to slow the plane to 90 – a good number for the first approach and landing. I turned base and found a full rudder sideslip necessary to keep the airplane from accelerating through 120. I had forgotten how clean some of these midgets are! Crossing the threshold low and flat, the airspeed hovered around 85-90. As the aircraft settled toward the grass, slight back pressure eased the descent and set the attitude at what I found was pretty close to three point. A little stick force reversal during the flare left me just a bit higher than I would have liked and the airplane shuddered its protest and dropped the last eight inches or so. The rollout was short (I guess about 800 feet) and easily controlled directionally. A relatively successful flight although a post flight inspection revealed excessive blowby through the number four exhaust valve. A “midnight plus” valve grinding exercise followed – only to be rewarded with an unsatisfactory engine run at one in the morning. The blowby was back, stronger than ever and we could only guess that the “seat” was the real problem but without the appropriate grinding stones and equipment we (against our better judgment) skipped the process. Wednesday morning with cylinder in hand we went off to the local valve grinding shop. Five hours later the cylinder was reinstalled. This time the compression checked out and two successful flights were undertaken – well, almost successful. The right mag was getting progressively worse and definitely not worth chancing a 2 1/2 hour trip south. The rest of the day was spent pouring through mag coils and condensers, trying to match the 20 year old mags. We were fortunate to find the appropriate replacement parts and managed one successful flight late in the evening. By unanimous agreement, we resolved to quit while ahead. The next morning dawned cool and clear. One of the truly CAVU days when even the weather briefer don’t have much to say. Fueled to capacity (22 gallons) and with baggage and pilot filling the cockpit, the Monster and I climbed lazily in the still morning air to 6500 feet. I set the power at what sounded about right and watched the airspeed needle settle on 160 mph. At this altitude the plane was truing almost 170. Fuel burn couldn’t be more than 6 1/2 gallon per hour, giving me almost three hours of endurance. I should be able to make the 350-mile trip to St. Augustine easily non-stop, although my butt was already offering serious objections. The 50-mile plus visibility eliminated navigation as a worry and left the fuel system was my only concern. It’s kind of an odd system: One fuselage tank (eight gallons) and two wing tanks (seven gallons apiece), each with their own on/off valve running to a single “T” at the gascolator. Only the fuselage tank has any sort of quantity gauge (a simple manometer). With all three valves open (you’d better hope you never have to reach them in flight) the fuel feeds pretty quickly from the main (fuselage) tank – until the head pressure equalizes in all three tanks. The fuel then feeds relatively equally from all three. Trouble is: If, for some reason, the wings don’t feed then you are left with about two gallons with which to divert. Not a whole lot to say the least. I’m still not sure how I reasoned this out or why it worked, but if I pitched the nose up 30 degrees for several seconds, the main refilled rapidly to about 3/4. The method worked several times so I accepted it as fact. With the fuel system under control and navigation almost too easy, I had a pleasant opportunity to just enjoy flying the aircraft. Response to control was definitely not as sharp as the Cassutt; softer, more relaxing really. Less deliberate and more gentle, well-harmonized and for sure more stable – particularly in yaw. The vertical surface (rudder and fin) act as one – probably because your feet are jammed hard against the rudder pedals. Aerodynamicists call this “stick fixed” stability (as opposed to stick free) and almost always makes for more stable response along that axis. This makes flying the airplane a whole lot less fatiguing on the long hauls. The Monster was rigged well in pitch and, as is often the case with airplanes of similar genre, no elevator trim is supplied or required. The truly enjoyable part of the flight lasted only 20 minutes or so, after which time my body decided it had had enough of this esoteric experience and began to object – vehemently! Never had I flown such an ergonomically uncomfortable airplane. Crammed fore and aft was bad enough but the narrowness of the cockpit allowed absolutely no twisting motion or side-to-side shifting. The plane’s only redeeming comfort feature was headroom. Unfortunately, the only way I found to take advantage of this was to PlO the aircraft through the sky, alternately lifting and lowering my scrunched self on and off the floorboards. The things I have to do to fly something different! I don’t think I would ever be so happy to see St. Augustine. Two hours and twenty minutes left me seriously numb and aching for days afterward. Somehow though, the look on Curtis’ face when he first saw the resurrected Monster made the effort seem not all that bad. In fact, the pain went away.
It was not until 1967 that Pitts introduced the two seat S 2A. Although similar to the S 1 in configuration and construction, the S 2A is slightly larger in overall dimensions and shares little commonality in components. In 1973, five 200 hp S 2As were supplied to a British aerobatic team sponsored by Rothmans Tobacco. Five more S 2As were later supplied to the Carling Black Label team in Toronto, Canada. And in mid 1976, the Peruvian Air Force announced an order for six S 2As, for “an unspecified training role.” The single seater’s popularity has been partially eclipsed by that of the two seat version, the S 2A, which went into production early in 1971, and of which nearly 140 have been sold by 1977.
Pitts S-2A N846
The S 2A is slightly larger in all dimensions than the S 1; no attempt was made at commonality of structure. A tandem two holer with a 200 hp Lycoming engine and a constant speed prop, it is not a tiny airplane. Both wings use symmetrical airfoil sections, the upper considerably thicker than the lower; they are set at an incidence that compromises between the requirements of upright and inverted flight, so that the airplane feels slightly nose high in cruise but comfortably level when inverted. The cockpits are fairly roomy, but the instrument panel is inches from your face, and the optical distortions caused by the edges of the compound curved windshields add to an already (and inevitably) cluttered view. Canopy hoods of plexiglass may be fitted, at the expense of intimacy with the air. The hoods reduce the unpleasant forward pressure of the wind on the rear seat pilot. The cockpit sides are high, blocking visibility, which in the landing disappears altogether. Any object carelessly dropped finds its way into the far end of the tail cone, there to interfere with the elevator controls.
1972 Pitts Special S2A
Besides its legendary ability to snap roll several times in succession with little loss of rate, the Pitts is notable for its willingness to be held in any attitude and yet to recover on command. As well as being a highly qualified aerobatic competitor, the S-2A is also ideally suited for advanced aerobatic instruction. It is a two-place aerobatic biplane that offers the student the opportunity to learn aerobatics under the supervision of an instructor.
The S-2B is a two-place 260hp aircraft. Wings and landing gear moved forward 6 in to balance the larger engine.
Christen-Pitts S2-B N60770
The S-2E price in 1982 was $50,800 as a complete kit. Units delivered to June 1982: 75.
The S-2S is identical to the S-2A except for the forward fuselage which has been shortened 14 inches to accommodate the larger 285hp Lycoming IO 540 engine, with the wings nine inches further forward and a number of other differences such as symmetrical ailerons which increase roll rate over other Pitts by 60″/sec (Up to 240″/sec). In addition, the front cockpit has been eliminated, making it a single-place plane. The S-2S’s larger size makes it ideal for air show flying as well as aerobatic competition. Its cruising speed of 175 mph combined with its fuel capacity of 35 gallons also gives it excellent cross country capability. With a 5 lb/hp and thrust/weight ratio of almost 1:1, it can, for example, do three vertical rolls in full competition, climb 300ft/min in knifedge and hover for “three or four seconds” at the end of a vertical climb. Climb rate is around 3,000ft/min and its snap roll rate is something like 480o/sec, and other party tricks include the ability to pinwheel, which is a stall turn through 540 degrees.
The first S 2S received its certification in mid 1981. The S-2S price in 1982 was $56,550 as a complete kit. Units delivered to June 1982: 10.
1972 Pitts Special S2A
The S-2, S-2A, S-2B, and S-2S are certified under FAA A8SO.
The S2-S was not a Pitts product, but a single place experimental home-built.
Curtis Pitts began designing the single-seat S 1 in 1942. The 55 hp prototype flew in September 1944, but was repowered with 90hp Franklin and sold to a cropduster, who reportedly was so hard of hearing that one time he didn’t hear the motor quit and crashed—no injury, but the plane was written-off.
A second Special, with 85hp Continental C-85, went to aerobat Betty Skelton in 1947 as Li’l Stinker (NX86401/N22E) (still active in 1975, displayed at NASM 2001).
Black Beauty (built by Pitts for Caro Bailey) started the trend toward more power by packing a 125 hp Lycoming O 290.
Betty Skelton Pitts Special
The Pitts Special is a single seat, open cockpit, fully aerobatic biplane. The fuselage is made up of a welded steel tube structure to which plywood formers and wooden stringers are fitted, the whole being fabric covered except for the aluminium front panels. Roth wings have solid spruce spars to which are fitted wooden ribs, each wing panel being internally and externally wire braced and fabric covered. The wings are set at 6 degrees sweep back at the quarter chord line, Frise type ailerons are fitted only to the lower wings, which have 3 degrees dihedral. Single faired interplane struts and N type cabane struts are fitted. The wing airfoil section is an M6.The main undercarriage is made up of welded steel tube and utilises rubber cord shock absorption. The tail wheel is steerable. A 16 Imperial gallon fuel tank is located immediately aft of the firewall. Engines of from 100-200 h.p. may be fitted.
The 1960 S1-C or Flatwing incorporated a semi-symmetrical airfoil and lower-wing ailerons with a Continental O-200 engine. The first S1-C was Pat Ledford’s (N8L) and the plans were drawn up as it was constructed. They were redrawn in the ’90s by Steen Aero Lab, incorporating many minor changes, one of which was the inclusion of the slightly-longer S1-S fuselage.
Christen-Pitts S1-C N3507
The S-1D is a four aileron version with a modified M-6 airfoil, completely certified. Kits and plans were marketed to home-builders.
The S1-E is an experimental, home-built version of the S1-S, with some crossover in names and parts provided by the factory between the -S and –E. An unknown number of S1-E became certified S1-S.
The S-1S model was first year built in 1974. The price in 1982 was $41,690 as a complete kit, or certified under FAA A8SO.
Christen-Pitts S1-S N55BT
S1-S / Roundwing of 1973 was an S1-D with two different symmetrical airfoils on the upper and lower wings with four ailerons.
S1-S production continued until 1981, when its plans were released for home-builders. Any home-built S1-S predating 1981 was not a true S1-Ss.
S1-SS or Super Stinker Pitts Special used an airfoil and aileron setup derived from the S-1-11/-11B “Super Stinker” aircraft, which was not a Pitts Special nor was it an S1, but a new design meant for world championship aerobatic competition. S1-SS was offered by Steen Aero Lab since the ’90s as supplemental wing plans to fit onto any S1 fuselage.
Christen-Pitts S1-SS N519DC
The 1981 S-1T is a single-seater model which claims roll rates of up to 240 degrees/second. A certified version that superseded the S1-S, with a 200hp engine, constant-speed prop, and new aileron design. Pitts has sold more than 2500 sets of plans for the popular S-1T.
Christen-Pitts S1-T
By 1998 the Pitts S-1 was marketed by Aviat Aircraft.
S-1C Engine: Lycoming IO-360-B4A, 180 hp Speed max: 147 mph Cruise: 143 mph Range: 250 sm Stall: 64 mph ROC: 2600 fpm Take-off dist: 300 ft Landing dist: 600 ft HP range: 125-200 Fuel cap: 20 USG Weight empty: 720 lb Gross: 1150 lb Height: 6.25 ft Length: 15.5 ft Wing span: 17.33 ft Wing area: 98 sq.ft Seats: 1 Landing gear: tail wheel
Engine: Lycoming O-320, 150 hp Cruise: 150 mph ROC: 2650 fpm Range: 300 sm Span: 17 ft 5 in Length: 15 ft 6 in Empty wt: 720 lb Max wt: 1050 lb
S-1C Engine: 1 × Textron Lycoming AEIO-540-D4A5, 260 hp (194 kW) Wingspan: 17 ft 4 in (5.28 m) Length: 18 ft 9 in (5.71 m) Maximum speed: 210 mph (338 kph) Maximum range: 319 miles (513 km) Service Ceiling: 21,000 ft (6,400 m)
1945: Curtis Pitts, Jacksonville FL. 1945: Pitts Aero Service, Gainesville FL. 1955: Homestead FL. 1967: Pitts Aviation, Homestead. 1969: Pitts Aviation Enterprises, Afton WY. Pitts Aviation Enterprises founded at Florida to market plans for the Curtis Pitts biplane.
New company formed as Pitts Aerobatics in 1977 at Afton, Wyoming, to continue sales and engineering of the Pitts aerobatic biplane at the same location by Aerotek Inc, which formerly built the Pitts S-2 for Pitts Aviation Enterprises. c.1980: Pitts Aerobatics (pres: E H Anderson) Aerotek continued to produce the S-2 for Pitts Aerobatics and the single-seat Pitts S-15 for pilots who did not wish to build their own.
In 1953 Bruce & Gilbert Pitt designed and built the sole single place low wing monoplane, Yellow Jacket N5745N. The fuselage was framed with tubing from a surplus PT-23 and a Porterfield, and the wings from a 1948 Anderson Special. The Yellow Jacket was first flown on 8 August 1953.
“Bullet” cowls were added to streamline the four cylinders of the 85-hp Continental C-85-8 motor.
Engine: Continental C-85-8, 85-hp Wing span: 14 ft. Length: 19 ft Max speed: 150 mph Cruise speed: 130 mph Stall: 60 mph
The Philadelphia based Autogyro Corporation of America’s Pitcairn AC 35 became a familiar sight both on and over Pennsylvania highways in the mid 1930s. Extensive road and air testing of the Pitcairn was financed by the US Bureau of Air Commerce, who thought it might be employed on Philadelphia’s autogiro operated air¬borne mail service. The AC 35 was a two-seater with a 135 hp engine mounted behind the cabin driving a pair of propellers on a common shaft up front. That was replaced by a single prop after the noise level proved to be excessive. Motor, driving the propeller by a long shaft, was buried in the fuselage behind the cabin; power was transferred to a large, steerable tail wheel for driving on the ground.
Autogiro AC-35 NX70 1936
Changes to the rear control surfaces are noted in Peter W Brooks’ Cierva Autogiros: The Development of Rotary-Wing Flight (Smithsonian Press 1988) as necessary to improve longitudinal stability when the coaxial props were replaced by a single prop. The engine is also confirmed as a 90hp Pobjoy Cascade, which is corroborated by the NASM webpage article on their AC-35 exhibit. Confusion about the dates occurred because the AC-35 was flown to Washington on 2 Oct 1936, but not actually delivered there until 26 Oct 1936 for a staged handover to DoC. As for the steering, the NASM webpage says, “For road use the rotor blades could be folded back over the fuselage, the propeller disengaged, and the tailwheel put in gear. The front wheels were used for steering.” In a picture on the Roadable Times website one can see the steering knuckles and the track rods in front of the landing gear cross-bracing.
Autogiro AC-35 NX70
Tested between 1936 and 1942, not only was it ingenious, it actually worked quite well, but the Pitcairn AC 35 never went into production. In 1960 Skyway Engineering announced ambitious plans for mass production of a revamped AC 35, but like its predecessor, the project was still¬born.
The Skyway Engr Co of 1964 produced an update of the Autogiro AC-35 with a 210hp Continental engine.
Year: 1937 Seats: 2 Engine: Pobjoy Niagra, 90 hp Gross wt: 1350 lb Rotor dia: 34 ft 3.5 in No of blades: 3
Skyway AC-35 Engine: 210hp Continental Projected data Rotor diameter: 38’0″ Length: 18’11” Useful load: 576 lb Max speed: 134 nph Cruise: 113 mph Range: 400 mi Seats: 2
All Aero 